Reno Fire Department tests new sensor technology to find people faster in an emergency

Reno Fire Department tests new sensor technology to find people faster in an emergency (Courtesy of Reno Fire)

RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — The Reno Fire Department performed a new sensor technology test on Saturday, Aug.4 at the University of Nevada, Reno Innevation Center that can potentially help find people faster in an emergency.

SimpleSense developed sensors to assist firefighters in what’s called the primary search.

The primary search is the best chance for firefighters to find anyone trapped inside a burning building, and involves quickly searching as much of the building as possible to locate anyone still inside, according to Reno Fire.

“Over my career, we’ve greatly improved how we get to an incident with better maps, routing and laptops in our fire trucks,” said Steve Leighton, Operations Division Chief with the Reno Fire Department, who set up the test. “Our primary concern on every incident is life safety, and that means our main job is to rescue everyone who is in the building. We embrace any tools or technology that helps us do that job better.”

In the test, SimpleSense helped firefighters find two victims inside the four-story building in four minutes, compared to 16 minutes using current procedures.

“The Reno community has been very supportive of us, giving lots of feedback and even showing up with fire trucks,” said Eric Kanagy, CEO of SimpleSense. “It’s great to be part of an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs and our crazy ideas.”

SimpleSense is running additional tests in schools, universities, offices and other high hazard buildings across the U.S. to validate how best to implement their sensors as the company expands.